This invention generally relates to sun visors, and particularly to sun visors used to provide protection from direct sun light in motor vehicles, such as cars, trucks, vans, RV's, and boats. More specifically, the device of this invention addresses the need for extending the protection from sun's rays that is offered by conventional sun visors so that the vehicle occupant is simultaneously offered protection from sun's rays shining through the vehicle from the front, side and corner directions without the need to move the conventional sun visor between the front and side directions.
Practically all motor vehicles sold on the market are equipped with one or more sun visors, typically one for the driver and one for the front passenger, to block and prevent direct sunlight or the sun's glare from shining into their eyes, especially during the early morning and pre-dusk hours when the sign shines at a low angle of trajectory. Such conventional sun visors typically have a generally flat, rectangular shaped panel that is designed to be in the up/closed position when not in use, and lowered when it is desired to block the sun's rays shining from the front of the vehicle. In addition, as the vehicle changes direction, the driver and passengers often find the sun shining through the left or the right sides of the vehicle, and in such situations, conventional sun visors can be swung to the side to provide side blockage. However, one drawback of conventional sun visors is that at any given time, they allow for sun protection only from one direction; i.e., either from the front or from the side. This requires the vehicle occupant to repeatedly swing the conventional sun visor from front to side and then back again, depending on the direction of vehicle travel relative to the sun's location. Not only is this an annoying task, having to constantly move the sun visor can be dangerous, because it takes away from the driver's focus and attention from his most important task, which is operating the motor vehicle. Another drawback of conventional sun visors is that they generally either provide frontal or side protection from sun's rays, leaving the corner space without coverage.
The present invention satisfies these needs by providing a sun visor extension device that is removably attachable to the conventional vehicle sun visor, and upon lowering of the sun visor to provide frontal sun protection, the device of the invention has a panel that can be opened to provide blockage of the sun from the side and another moveable panel that can provide sun protection from the corner direction. Accordingly, the sun visor extension device of the invention provides maximum coverage from the sun's direct light and indirect glare, while avoiding the necessity and annoyance of having to move the sun visor between the front and the side, and in doing so, reduces a source of danger in operating motor vehicles.